A key part of the U.S. manufacturing sector is stepping on the gas. Several auto makers including General Motors and Fiat Chrysler reported relatively brisk U.S. sales to finish 2020, the WSJ’s Mike Colias reports, stoking optimism that an industry that feeds industrial supply chains across the country can continue its climb back from the Covid-19 crisis. Analysts still expect U.S. vehicle sales to total 14.4 million to 14.6 million in 2020, down roughly 15% from a year earlier and the lowest level since at least 2012. But GM’s fourth-quarter sales rose 4.8% and Fiat Chrysler’s pace of sales accelerated from earlier in the year. Automotive shipments on U.S. railroads fell nearly 20% in 2020, according to the Association of American Railroads. But volumes picked up in December, with weekly shipments averaging about 18% more during the month than the average during the previous 11 months.

American factories are churning out strong optimism for future demand. A key measure of U.S. manufacturing activity reached its highest level in more than two years, the WSJ’s Justin Lahart writes in a Heard on the Street column, a sign that a swath of the goods-producing sector has weathered the pandemic-driven downturn even as service industries have struggled. The Institute for Supply Management’s latest monthly reading suggests that more parts and finished goods are heading into distribution pipelines. Measures for production and new orders, which are closely watched by freight carriers, both jumped while inventory levels remained muted. Companies cited in the ISM report suggest distribution bottlenecks remain a drag on growth. One transportation equipment provider said Covid-19 outbreaks at factories “are causing supply chain issues for Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers,” while a food, beverage and tobacco products company pointed to logistics issues from “coronavirus-related problems.”

Corporate efforts to scale up digital capabilities during the pandemic should set the pace for business over the coming year. Chief information officers say investments ranging from e-commerce technology to expanded workplace communication tools helped retailers and their suppliers change operations during 2020. Corrado Azzarita of Kraft Heinz tells the WSJ’s Sara Castellanos that the food company “accelerated digitally by at least two years.” Many companies consider the digital efforts urgent as they face disruptions and upheaval in their business models. Walmart says it developed more than 70 technology features early in the pandemic, including a two-hour delivery service that was conceived and launched in about two weeks. And Home Depot quickly developed a tool to let customers pick up items in front of the store. Rival home-improvement retailer Lowe’s rolled out an app for curbside pickup in April that it had planned to release in 2021.

The World Bank lowered its projection for average annual economic growth in coming years, saying the pandemic raised the prospect of a “lost decade.” (WSJ)

Saudi Arabia says it will unilaterally cut its crude production quota by 1 million barrels a day next month. (WSJ)

Amazon is buying 11 Boeing 767-300 aircraft from Delta Air Lines and WestJet to add its freighter fleet. (MarketWatch)

Moderna expects to make at least 600 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine this year, 100 million more than earlier projected. (WSJ)

Amazon-backed Rivian Automotive is close to reaching a new funding round valuing the electric-truck startup at about $25 billion. (Bloomberg)

Russia is doubling its coal exports to China as it expands transports of a range of energy products to the country. (Nikkei Asian Review)

Small miners that snapped up distressed assets in the 2016 commodities downturn are restarting projects on rising iron ore prices. (Financial Times)

Off-price retailer Tuesday Morning emerged from bankruptcy protection with a $110 million lending facility and nearly 200 fewer stores. (Retail Dive)

British ports reported few problems with cargo shipments in the first days after Brexit. (Lloyd’s List)

Vietnam plans to spend up to $8 billion over the next 10 years to upgrade the country’s ports. (Phnom Penh Post)

Car carrier Wallenius Wilhelmsen is restoring nine of its idled vessels to its oceangoing fleet. (Tradewinds)

Cold-storage giant Lineage Logistics is buying refrigerated railcar operator Cryo-Trans for $500 million. (DC Velocity)

Canadian industrial conglomerate James Richardson & Sons acquired Winnipeg-based trucker Bison Transport. (Today’s Trucking)

Canada’s two big freight railroads extended their run of record grain volumes in December. (Railway Age)

Transport equipment provider Pride Group bought 6,320 electric delivery vans from Workhorse Group. (Fleet Owner)

Companies in the U.K. took up 35.8 million square feet of space in large warehouses last year, 43% more than the five-year annual average. (Logistics Manager)

German logistics operator Dachser named Burkhard Eling chief executive. (The Loadstar)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Write to him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @jensmithWSJ, @CostasParis. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on Twitter at @WSJLogistics.